Barking & Dagenham 2-3 Wokingham

THE JOINT LEADERS of the London Girls’ League met at Parsloes Park to decide the destiny of this year’s title. Both sides entered the final game with identical records and duly delivered a tense ‘Battle Royale’, which swung one way then the other, in a thrilling climax to the season. In the end, it was the visitors who added the silverware to their groaning trophy cabinet. Along the way though, it was a heck of a ride.

Appropriately, the game started at a frenetic pace, the skills on show an example to anyone wishing to see the expectation of district football.

Sighter

It was Barking & Dagenham who had the first sighter when Paloma Correia forced an early corner which Abbie Blewitt – playing her fiftieth district match – fizzed across goal, with no-one in the box able to gain the crucial touch.

Two minutes later though, and the home side were ahead.

Outstanding play from Jo Mecvari saw the Southwood midfielder charge down the ball on the left flank before embarking on a forty-yard run steeped in power and a new-found turn of pace.

Cutting back inside, a square ball to Theresa Ezea was flicked on to skipper Aaliyah Felix on the edge of the box. The first shot on target of the morning then drew a save from the keeper, but the ball was parried to Correia free on the right who buried the loose ball into the bottom corner for the most perfect of starts.

Blewitt’s corners continued to threaten at one end, whilst Wokingham were restricted to pot-shots from thirty yards at the other.

Magnificent

That was largely in part to the magnificent back three of Barking & Dagenham.

Simonette Johnson belied her lack of experience at centre-half, reading the game like a well-worn comic with Bella Yorke doubling up on the dangerous Wokingham attack.

It was Lily Imatitikua though who took her game to new heights in a steadfast refusal to yield an inch of ground to her opponents. Headers, blocks, last ditch tackles and progressives passes into midfield lit up the left side of the defence.

As the half wore on, Wokingham had no choice but to make changes in a bid to find a foothold into the game.

Three minutes before the interval, it came.

A dangerous corner into the box was met first by Barking & Dagenham, but pressure on the clearance meant the ball never made it to safety with an unstoppable blast whistling into the net from twenty-five yards to level the scores going into the break.

Denied

The game remained an arm wrestle.

Barking & Dagenham’s first shot on target since the opener came seven minutes into the second half when Blewitt’s long-range effort was fielded by the away keeper.

Two minutes later, the woodwork denied Felix as Mecvari’s lofted ball forward was flicked on by the captain before she turned and struck a left-foot volley against the upright in spectacular fashion.

Whitney James and Correia also forced the keeper into action, before Wokingham also thundered an almighty strike against the crossbar with eleven minutes remaining.

Then – with both sides tiring in the heat of the sun – everything seemed to happen all at once.

First, Grace Attwood-Adams was forced into an outstanding save to deny Wokingham the lead but the shooter showed great reactions to adjust and divert the rebound into the open goal for 2-1.

Tantalising

Almost straight from the restart, Barking & Dagenham forced their way forward, with Felix rounding the keeper inside the box and firing goal-wards, only to see her effort diverted off the line with the equaliser tantalisingly within grasp.

A Blewitt free-kick to the hosts in a dangerous position was blocked in the box.

And what seemed the decisive moment came to cap off a mad two minutes when Correia show great poise and vision to pick out an unmarked Ezea with a through-ball from half-way to the penalty spot, as Wokingham dropped deep.

With the flag staying down, the leading scorer took a touch, swivelled and buried the ball into the back of the net to level the tie with eight minutes remaining.

The drama didn’t end there though as straight from the restart, Wokingham fashioned a shot from distance which almost caught everyone by surprise. Not Attwood-Adams though, who pulled off a smart save to repel the attempt.

But Barking & Dagenham were unable to scramble the loose ball away and a smart finish found the bottom corner to restore Wokingham’s lead and settle the tie in favour of the holders.

Cruel Blow

It was a cruel blow for Barking & Dagenham, who knew a draw would have seen the trophy shared. However, finishing as runners-up is by no means a tragedy. To finish the season third in the Southern Counties Cup, second in the Southern Counties League Cup and London Girls’ League, as well as winning the Stuart Feakins Trophy and Essex SFA League, certainly can’t be sniffed at.

And to push Wokingham – Surrey League, Southern Counties Cup, Southern Counties League Cup and Southern Counties Trophy champions – all the way is now mean feat.

Indeed, the 2024/25 season is one that will go down as one of the strongest in BDSFA history. This year’s group of BAD Girls have been outstanding from their first game to the last, showing talent, commitment, honour and pride in every game they played.

This was typified by the fabulous five – Attwood-Adams, Correia, Blewitt Felix and Johnson – completing their second season of district football with the latter three players all reaching the incredible milestone of fifty plus appearances.

They have been brilliant ambassadors for Barking & Dagenham and we wish them all the best for whatever the future holds.

Barking & Dagenham: Grace Attwood-Adams (The Leys), Paloma Correia (George Carey), Theresa Ezea (St Peter’s), Simonette Johnson (St Peter’s), Aaliyah Felix (Goresbrook), Lilly-Mae Fisher (Roding), Lily Imititikua (St Peter’s), Bella Yorke (Richard Alibon), Abbie Blewitt (Hunters Hall), Jo Mecvari (Southwood), Bella Hines (Northbury), Whitney James (Rose Lane)